I am the Dark
by IRO-Bot
Summary: When something goes wrong with the light, then the dark, or the other half, must rescue it. However, one of the darks must first be saved, before everything is destroyed.
1. Remember

**_Something goes terribly wrong with Yugi and the rest of the hikaris. The only ones who can save them is their other selves. However, one of the darks isn't what he used to be._**

**Warning: These first couple chapters are kind of odd. Because I'm kind of an odd person. And just to tell you now: I will update…when I update. Whether it takes me a day (yeah right) or a month, just know that I will. I guarantee you that. So, without further ado, it begins.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. I own this plot, however, which is hereby selling for $1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Any buyers? No? Well, the sales off now anyway, so you lost your chance.**

**_I am the Dark_**

**Chapter 1- Basically a flashback of what happened earlier that day, except for the beginning, which is in the present. Like, now. Or something. I'll just let you figure it out.**

**Remember**

Yugi silently rubbed his hand on the glass in the Domino Museum. The glass which encased what used to be his three most valuable possessions, besides the Millennium Puzzle itself. The three Egyptian god cards.

He looked each of them over, each one sending a wave of sadness through his heart. Sadness, and guilt.

Obelisk: powerful, strong. He remembered the day he had won it from Seto Kaiba, during the Battle City Finals. A small smile crept to his lips as he recalled the event. He turned his head slightly, then stopped, fixing his gaze upon the middle card.

Ra: The most dominant god card. The most dominant, and the most feared. Feared by Joey, Mai, and himself. The three of them were the ones who had truly felt the awesome power of the beast. The rest had watched, they had seen with their eyes. It was different to be a mere bystander, a lesson he had learned firsthand. But he also defeated the holder of this card, Marik. The evil face of Malik Ishtar. The one who had tried to raze them all during Battle City. It was over now, though. He, Yugi Mutou, had won and defeated Marik. Yugi paused, and shook his head. No, he had not won. Someone else had, someone… greater than he. Someone that no longer existed in this realm of the living. He swallowed and bit his lip, forcing the though from his mind, and turning to the last card.

Osiris: usually ranked last out of the three, however still very strong. Yugi closed his eyes when he came to this one. This was the first god card that he, and his other self, had gotten. He battled Kaiba with it and come out a winner. Of course, he had had some help…

He took a deep breath, opening his eyes again. He scanned each card over for a few more seconds, then turned to leave. 'There,' he thought, walking out of the building. 'I did it. I faced my past, or, his past, technically. Now I can go.'

He smiled a bit, content in a way. He had done what he thought to be impossible. Stopping a few feet from the outside entrance, he checked his watch, remembering that he was supposed to be at Joey's by 5:00. He and the rest of the gang, besides Joey, of course, had stayed from school that day and were planning a surprise 18th birthday party for the blonde.

Well, in all honesty, Serenity, Tea and Ishizu had done all the planning, but he and the other four guys were just getting all the stuff. The other four guys being Tristan, Duke, Ryou and Kaiba. Tristan had been enthralled that Serenity had asked him to do something like buy the cake.

"It means she trusts me." he had told the others, grinning.

"Trusts you how? In not getting him a cake that greets you with an explosion, ripping your face off your head and sending your skull flying into tiny little fragments when you cut it? That's great, Taylor." Kaiba had said disgustedly, still annoyed that he was in charge of the balloons.

Tristan had just laughed, perturbed. "Ha, ha. No…"

"Uh, you know Tristan, how about you get the umm, the plates and utensils? Is that good?" Serenity asked him sweetly.

He nodded. "Anything for you."

"Ok. We'll just bake a cake. Now, let's see. Duke and Ryou, you distract Joey from coming home."

Ryou coughed, covering up a laugh. "No need for that. He has after school detention."

Duke nodded. "Yup, second one this week."

"Oh, well then, you can stay here and help us. Is that fine Tea?"

Tea agreed. "Sure."

"Alright, and Yugi, you and Malik can go over to the school and call us when he's out. Don't let him see you though."

The two complied and went on their way.

Yugi was a little uncomfortable during the walk to the school, and he could tell that Malik felt the same. After all, they didn't know each other that well, so it was pretty hard to start up a conversation.

Finally, Malik came out with "So, what other games do you like? Besides Magic and Wizards, I mean."

Yugi grinned. That was something he could talk about. He told him about the different Japanese games they played, the significance of each one, and even how to play them, though it was pretty hard to tell without actually showing.

Malik was interested and listened intently as they went along, nodding and asking questions now and then. When Yugi was done, Malik had told him many things about Egypt, such as what it was like to live there, what the schools were like, and about the life of a tomb keeper.

Eventually, they got to the school at around 4:00, and Joey wasn't out yet. They waited around for a few minutes until they saw him walk out with a few other students. Malik hid, knowing that Joey wouldn't expect to see him around, and although Yugi probably wouldn't be walking around school at 4:00 in the afternoon, it was a bit more common, and knowing Joey, he would probably accept any excuse Yugi had to offer. They were right.

Joey stopped at the bottom of the steps. "Uh, what are you doin' here, Yug'?"

"Well, you see. I wanted to take a walk… and so I did." Yugi said, innocently.

Joey gave him a weird look. "I thought you were sick or sumtin. You weren't at school today."

"Yes! I mean, yes. Exactly. I was, er, am sick. But… my mom says that a walk a day keeps the dentist, er, doctor away." Yugi coughed for effect.

"…Oh. I always thought it was an apple. But ok, Yug'. I guess I'll see you later then." He turned and started walking away.

Yugi ran in front of him. "W-Wait! Where are you going, heh heh, mister? Heh, heh…" He gave Joey a light punch to the arm.

Joey raised an eyebrow. "You ok, man? Maybe you should rest…"

"No, I'm fine, just fine. Uh, stay there for a second. Don't you move, and I mean it!"

Yugi ran over to Malik, who was watching the two from behind a bush, and enjoying every moment of it.

"Nice acting. You should get a scholarship." Malik snickered.

Yugi frowned. "Shutup. Now, you have to take Joey somewhere, away from his house."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Anywhere but the library, because that just makes him fall asleep. Distract him, and don't go to his house until about… 5:20."

"Alright. Where are you going?"

"I gotta… uh, take care of something. I'll call Serenity and meet you back there."

Malik nodded and Yugi went back over to Joey.

"Joey, my friend! How are you?"

Joey blinked. "Well, I'm ok. But aftah I saw you talkin' to that bush over there, I'm wonderin' the same ting about you."

"I'm good, really! Muy bien, fantastico, wonderous, perfecto!"

There was a moment of silence. Yugi had nodded, as if agreeing with himself.

"So, Joey. Listen bud, I gotta go. But hey, have a good one, and see you around!"

He had turned and walked away, kicking a rather amused 'bush' in its shin. After turning a few blocks and crossing a few intersections, he had arrived at his destination. The Domino Museum.


	2. Disturbed

**Thanks guys for the reviews guys, your great. Miraculously enough, I'm putting another chapter up… the day after my last one. I'm surprised the end of the world hasn't come yet. And to answer one of my reviewers: no. This isn't a Yugi goes insane fic, although this chapter and the next may defenitly seem like it. Uh, I mean definitely. Yes. Spelling is not one of my greatest proficiencies. Thank God for spell check.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything, I would be richer and taller and have a trench coat that defies the laws of gravity**.

**Chapter 2- Something weird is going on. Nothing seems to make sense and Yugi's fear begins to take over. Gasp. Oh yeah, and this is in the present. No flashback for you this time.**

** Disturbed**

Now, Yugi stood outside the building once more, after the 'something' was taken care of. Walking away, he wondered what would have happened if the other him had won the duel. Would he have stayed on earth? Then there was the question of, would he have wanted to stay?

Yugi mentally kicked himself as he thought about it. Of course he didn't want to stay. Sure, _he_ cared about them, but he had been trapped in the world for over 3000 years. Anyone else would have gone crazy by then. Except of course, Bakura, but he was quite a different case. He _knew_ who he was. Having no memories could have quite an effect on a person for three millennia. So could being trapped in a maze for the same period of time, with only one way out. Luckily, Yugi had found that way, and set the ancient spirit free. From then on, they talked together, fooled around together, even saved the world together on multiple occasions.

But now…

Yugi sighed, longingly. Now that was gone. In the past. _He_ was never to return again. Of course, it was for the better, right? That's what _he _had wanted, right? Yugi kept telling himself that over and over, trying to get rid of the guilt that kept building up inside. Why would it be his fault, after all? He just did what he was supposed to. He beat his other self at his own game. It was his destiny after all, wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

Yugi didn't know any more. He thought he did, but now he wasn't sure. Looking around, he noticed something. It was dark, a bit too dark. He checked his watch. It was only 4:48, much to early even for sundown. Gazing up, he saw something even more eerie.

No stars.

Yugi raised an eyebrow. Clouds, perhaps?

It was clear when he had entered the museum.

He pulled his jacket close around him. Why was it so cold? The day had been pretty warm, not scalding, but nothing like this.

A chill swept across his shoulders. He took a deep breath and stared at what he saw, amazed. It was his own breath, the heat turning foggy in the cold air. Shifting his eyes about, he began to walk to Joey's house, not wanting to be late.

After a few blocks, it seemed to get worse. He began shivering, all the while wishing he had brought a heavier jacket. It was then that the fog rolled in, misty and hazy. It came to mind that all this happened in under three minutes. The weatherman had predicted a clear night with a side of full moon and sixty-nine degree weather to top it off. Then again, who could trust the weatherman? Sure he was a great scientist and all, not to mention he had been right for the past six months and running, but even still, why-

Yugi froze. Another chill ran its way past his shoulders and down his spine. He felt something. Like someone was watching, waiting. Observing his every move. He pulled in another deep breath, shakier then the last, and started to walk faster, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Where were all the other people? It was only 4:53, still the afternoon. A _Friday_ afternoon. People should have been everywhere he turned, and yet there was no one.

Now he was creeped out. Even still, he kept his gaze in front of him. The wind began to pick up, blowing scraps of paper from the alleys on both sides. Thinking he saw something, he turned, looking down the passage to his right. Nothing but shadows, stretching across walls and crawling on the ground. His breathing became quick and short.

'_My cell phone.'_ he thought.

Had he not been so scared, he would have jumped for joy right then and there. After taking it out of his back pocket, he started to dial Joey's number, when he heard a scream. An unnatural, ghostly scream that froze his blood. Trying hard not to think about it, he kept dialing, then put the phone to his ear when he was done. He still walked on, hurrying to get somewhere where he felt safe.

One ring.

'_C'mon, guys. Pick up the phone.'_

Two rings.

'_Please, someone! Answer it!'_

Three.

'_No, dear God, no! One of you have to pick up!'_

Four.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Joey!" Yugi cried, wondering why in the world Malik had not done his job, but thankful that someone had answered the phone nonetheless. "Something really weird's going on, and-"

"And dat is what you would hear if I were actually home to answer da phone. So yah, leave me a message, and stuff. And if dis is Kaiba, you SUCK rich boy! Dat's right, who's da boss now, eh?

Joey, are you talking to Seto?

Huh, aw no sis, I'm just kickin his butt through this message thingy. You hear dat Kaiba? Second rate duelist my-"

Beeeeeep!

'_No, no, NO! Don't leave me out here alone!'_

As he was about to leave a message, he saw something rush by his left side, causing him to jump.

Unfortunately also causing him to drop the phone, which broke as it hit the ground.

He didn't bend down to pick it up. Instead, he stood perfectly still, not making a sound. He figured that whatever it was might leave if he didn't show any fear.

Too bad he had no idea just what _it_ was.

Taking another deep breath, he picked up the phone, which was useless to him now, and kept walking. It was then that he heard a low hum, which to his ear almost sounded like an animal growl. He didn't stop this time, but hurried faster. The hum got louder as if coming nearer, and he realized it wasn't an animal.

It was a motor. A _car_ motor.

He ran.


	3. Struck

**Hey there. As you may have noticed, I changed the summary. That doesn't mean I changed the plot, however. It's just that the original summary I had up there wasn't going to really be put into focus until later. Because I can already tell that this is going to be a long story. Yes'm, a very long story indeed. But don't worry, that other thing will come up later as the main point. It's just going to take a while to get to it. Okiday? And thank you to all my reviewers! You guys rock. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Yugioh, Mai and Valon would have gotten together, Ishizu and Atem would be together as well, Tea would have died twice along with Rebecca, Atem would turn evil and team up with Bakura and Marik, and Ryou would sing like Elvis.**

**But I don't. Sucks for you.**

**Chapter 3: Can't really summarize it too well…**

**Struck**

After running for what seemed forever, though it was only about two minutes, Yugi stopped. Where was he now? The houses didn't look right. They barely looked like houses at all. Just bare skeleton frames, with grimy shutters and dark windows. No one lived here. But he was still in Domino. Wasn't he?

There was no more sound, no motor, not even the wind. Taking a glance to his right, he saw what looked to be the outlines of people. He headed that direction.

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Joey and Malik were heading home from the arcade, when they saw someone that looked strangely like Yugi running around in the street.

"What's he doin?" Joey thought out loud. "He's gonna get himself killed."

Malik called out, "Yugi! Hey! What do you think you're doing!"

It was as if he didn't even hear. Instead, he kept running opposite them, dodging cars almost unintentionally.

"Holy shit. He didn't even- Yugi! Hey! Ovah here!" Joey yelled, frantically trying to get his attention. When he was of no avail, he ran into the street, much to the annoyance of the car drivers, along with Malik, hoping to catch the teen before he hurt himself, or worse.

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When Yugi got closer to the figures, he began to recognize them as his friends: Ryou, Tristan, Joey, Malik, Tea, Duke, Seto, Mokuba, Ishizu, Serenity, all of them were walking… somewhere.

Not understanding, but somewhat glad at having other humans there with him, he yelled to them.

"Guys! Wait up!" He caught up with them.

"So, do you know where we are? I mean, something really weird is going on. Pretty spooky. I'm just glad you're all here."

There was no response, from any of them. They just kept walking, not even turning their heads. Yugi looked up into their faces and saw that every one of them was expressionless.

"Uh, guys?" Again, the feeling of alarm gripped him. There was definitely something wrong here, something very wrong.

Suddenly, he couldn't move. He was frozen in place, his legs held to the ground by an invisible cement. Still, the beings kept walking, taking no notice that one of their group was missing.

"Guys!"

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The two teens saw Yugi come to a halt, which would have been great, had it not been right in the middle of the intersection.

"Yugi!"

Yugi could not hear them, could not see them. Trying not to cry, he stood where he was, not knowing of the great danger he was in. He could lift his legs once more, and for that he was grateful. He turned around, and hit something.

Or someone.

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"Get him out of there!" Malik yelled, trying to make his voice go above the sounds of horns and tire screeches.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Joey kept dodging traffic, thankful that his former gang had taught his one useful thing. 'What's goin on? Is he nuts?' He was almost there, just a few more yards…

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Yugi looked up and gazed upon his nightmare. There, before him, was a monster. A monster, with a human body. Its skin was pitch black and the nails were like claws. There was no face. No face, except for the eyes. Eyes that looked like they belonged to the devil himself. They pierced him, sending a wave of panic throughout his entire being. No longer did his brain function. His mind told him one thing, and one thing only.

_Run._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _

"No! Yugi!" Joey reached out his hand, hoping to grab his friend. But he was too late. Malik came up behind him and they continued their pursuit. One thing was certain. Yugi could not sense them, or anything else. The blonde clenched his teeth. Whoever did this to him was going to pay.

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Terror. Something he had never felt before. Yet now it flowed through every part of him, entering his heart and flooding all reality, all sense from his mind. He wasn't sure where to turn, what path to take. His breathing was heavy, his heart rate quick. His legs burned from running and ached to rest.

And still he ran. He didn't know where. He wasn't thinking straight. All he knew was that nothing was as it should have been. All logic, all reality, was gone. Nothing made sense.

He looked at his watch.

What watch?

There was nothing on his wrist. He looked around. Where was the town? That dark, cold place that he had just ran from.

Now there was nothing. Nothing but Shadow, Darkness. And Evil. The Evil was the strongest. It ran alongside his terror, taunting him, petrifying him. That monster. With the eyes. Those yellow eyes that froze his blood.

'_No…'_ he thought. _'Gone back! I don't, you be away! Me no want now! Stop, help! Help!'_

As if responding to his scrambled thoughts of panic, hands came out of everywhere, touching him, grabbing him. He cried out in alarm, trying to free himself of their grasp. He heard the sound of the motor once again. To his ears, it sounded like Satan himself was calling him into the depths of Hell. He cried out yet again, covering his ears and running.

He forgot to cover his eyes.

Before him were two yellow lights, looking like the eyes of the Monster. For a split second he stood still. For a split second he looked into the eyes in front of him. And for a split second he understood. Then he jumped out of the way.

But he was a split second too late.

The truck, at least five tons in weight, struck him, showing no signs of deceleration. He flew through the air, face contorted with shock and pain, blood flowing from his mouth. As he rolled onto the hood of the truck, he took one look at the driver.

There wasn't one.

He landed on the ground, and the oxygen was knocked out of him. Taking one more glance around, he saw crowds of people in the streets, like a typical Friday afternoon. He saw buildings, warm, friendly and occupied. He saw the crowds of people staring at him, pointing, screaming, and crying out. He saw two familiar faces, but he couldn't recall the names. The world began to spin, once again becoming shrouded in darkness. Then he saw something else.

He saw the eyes again. But this time, there were two sets. There were the yellow ones, the eyes of evil.

There were also the red eyes. They were full of rage and insanity, and it frightened him even more than the others. Above each set was the Eye of Horus. The yellow eyes shut, leaving him to stare into the orbs of crimson. He felt nothing but trepidation as his entire body began to shut down. His vision was blurry, his mind was shattered. The eyes disappeared. Then there was nothing.

There are those who some say have been touched by an angel.

Yugi Mutou was struck by a demon.

**Yeah, what I said earlier about Yugi going insane… not exactly true. I just meant that, though it may be a large part of the story (you'll see), it's going to be focused around that. Just so you know. **  



	4. Absent

**Hey there. It's been a while. But, as I have told you, I will update…**

**Random Crowd used for Writing Purposes: …when she updates!**

**Thank you!**

**RCufWP: Your welcome!**

**Kay, so here ya go.**

**RCufWP: Here we go!**

…**Yes, well, anyway. I would like to thank all my reviewers for-**

**RcufWP: You're welcome!**

…**um shutup.**

**RcufWP: Ok!**

**Oh good. So as I was saying-**

**RcufWP: You were saying something!**

…

**RcufWP: …**

…

**RcufWP: …**

**That's better.**

**RcufWP: It's better! W00tness!**

**OMIGOD! (everyone is shot)**

**RcufWP: Holy Crap! We're dead!**

**And I'm so proud of you. So thanks to all those who reviewed. Ok then.**

**Disclaimer: lolz lyk omfg wtf I don't own Yugioh or nutin lyk b/c w/e roflmfao kthxbye**

**Chapter 4- Absent**

The two blonde teens watched in horror as their friend flew through the air, then landed on the asphalt like a rag doll. Joey rushed to him, closely followed by Malik. The sound of car horns and the screams from the spectators came from all directions, and a large crowd quickly began to form around the fallen entity.

Joey pushed and shoved his way through the assemblage, crying out Yugi's name as he did so. When he finally reached him, he fell to his knees beside him.

"Yugi! Yugi! Can ya hear me? Say sometin', anything! No! Oh no!"

Malik came up behind him, squeezing through the ever-growing throng. He ripped off a piece of his shirt, and handed it to the other.

"Here," he said in a dazed tone. "Use this… for the blood."

Joey snatched it and delicately began wiping the blood from Yugi's face.

"Malik, call the paremedics!"

The Egyptian seemed to be in a state of shock, and he merely stared.

"MALIK!"

He blinked then nodded, extending his hand to grab the cell phone that Joey was handing him.

Joey turned back to Yugi. "Yug-" he stopped. Yugi's was whispering something, but it was unintelligible, a foreign language. His eyes were wide open. They shifted from one side to the other, watching something that only he could see. But they were empty, hollow, as if his mind and soul was absent from his body.

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Yugi's eyes shot open, but he covered them, expecting to see two others staring back at him. He peered cautiously through his fingers, and found that his predictions were false. Instead of eyes, there was a road lying out before him. It appeared to be made of pure white marble stone. Surrounding the path were flowers, but not just any flowers. These were more beautiful than any that Yugi had ever seen. Every color he could imagine, every type of flower he could imagine, were all here. A warm, blissful sensation filled him suddenly, and he smiled. Something inside told him to step onto the path, but before doing so, he looked behind him.

From the looks of it, he seemed to have come through a short tunnel, dark and clammy. Beyond the tunnel, there was a city. It looked familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where he might have seen it before. He searched his memory, but decided not to worry about it.

Instead, his attention was drawn to a large crowd gathered in the middle of the street…

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Joey stared into his friend's eyes, which had stopped moving. Yugi's mouth kept talking though, speaking in an alien tongue, the lips slowly curving into an eerie smile. The boy's skin had gone pale and was now turning an unnatural shade of grey.

"Yugi…" Joey's voice was filled with concern. "C-can ya hear me?"

Yugi paid no heed. He kept on whispering, and Joey tried to make sense of what he was saying as sirens wailed in the distance.

"It's Egyptian." came a voice from behind him.

Joey turned, and saw that it was Malik who had spoken.

"What?" His voice was choked.

"Yugi… he's saying something in Egyptian… but it's different. Ancient Egyptian."

The sirens were closer now, and Malik gazed upon the small teen with wonder.

Wonder… and fear.

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Yugi turned away from the city view, feeling it was unimportant. He began walking upon the open path, smelling the flowers now and then, and basking in their breathtaking aroma. After what could have been seconds, hours, or days, Yugi didn't know, he came upon an extraordinary castle that seemed to reach up into the white fluffy clouds above.

Without hesitation, he entered.

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"His pulse is really fast! What's goin' on here?" Joey was panicking. Yugi just kept talking, like nothing was wrong, but his breathing had completely stopped. Even Joey knew that you couldn't talk without any air circulating through your lungs.

And yet his heart kept beating. It was completely haphazard at first, but then it became a beat. A fast, but ongoing beat.

_Budum, bud, bud, budum, budum, bud, bud, budum_

The paramedics had arrived, and were clearing everyone out of the way. Yugi was still chanting. Malik was still staring, mouthing something.

And the beat was still going.

_Budum, bud, bud, budum, budum, bud, bud, budum_

It was incredibly fast, and Joey just kneeled there cradling Yugi's head, and hoping, praying, that his friend would be saved.

One of the medics pulled gently on his arm.

"Don't worry son, we'll take care of him from here."

Joey nodded, but before he let go, he felt the heartbeat once more.

_Budumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudum…_

Then it stopped. Frantically, Joey looked for any sign that it might start up again. It didn't.

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The castle was huge; bigger than anything Yugi had ever seen. He looked about in awe, taking in everything. The walls and pillars were made of the same marble stone as the pathway, but it was more of a grayish tint. Dozens of large flags were draped upon them, with different symbols each holding a certain meaning, none of which Yugi knew.

Then he looked down at the floor and gasped. It was glass. However, when he felt it, he blinked in surprise. Ice. But it was so clear, so beautiful. He walked forward on it, and slipped a little, but did not fall. Smiling, he began to glide forward on the ice, shifting from one side to the other.

"Enjoying yourself?" a voice asked suddenly.

Startled, Yugi slipped, and this time fell. He looked up, and standing before him was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She was tall, at least six feet, and had flowing white hair that reached all the way to her ankles. Her skin was almost just as white, and it seemed to glow with an unnatural shine. She wore an elegant gown, but Yugi could not tell just what color it was. It was every color, he decided. And it seemed to be, for every time she moved, a different one seemed to catch his eye. Her eyes sparkled in the light, and they were a greenish blue color.

"Uh…mm…" he stuttered, unsure of what to say.

She laughed, and he blushed.

"My child," she cooed. "I welcome you. This is the Sanctuary of Pleasure."

Yugi swallowed. "Are you… are you an angel?" he asked softly.

Smiling, she shook her head. "Not quite. I am one of the guardians. There are three of us. Come, I shall take you to the King."

Yugi was taken aback. King? He would be meeting a King? Well, not that he hadn't before, but this was different. The guardian held her hand out to him, and he took it and stood up. They walked a bit until they passed through a door and began to head down a long hallway. Yugi decided to try and start up a conversation.

"Who, uh, who is the King?"

She smiled again. "In good time, my child. Now, please tell me your name."

"My name?" He paused. What was his name? What was his name? Ah yes. "My name is Yugi."

"Yugi. It is very nice."

Yugi smiled and blushed again.

"I am Amunet."

"Amunet…" Yugi breathed. "The Goddess of Mystery."

She nodded. "Yes, how did you know?"

Yugi shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I read it somewhere, sometime. But now I don't remember. It's like… like I had a life before this, but I feel as though I've always been here."

"That is how many feel. But you have always lived in this land. This, however, is the only time you have entered the Sanctuary."

He remembered back to the city he had seen through the tunnel. "Um, Miss, er, Amunet? What about the tun-"

"Shh. There will be time for questions later, my dear. But here is the King's room."

They approached a large door at the end of the hall. It was made of pure gold, with ruby handles to open it.

Amunet pushed the handles, opening the door. The room was not at all how Yugi had pictured it. It was dark, and an eerie fog made it hard to see. Yugi entered, and just as he set foot in the room, the door slammed shut behind him. Looking around, he saw nothing.

"Hey, Amunet? Where's…" his voice trailed off. Amunet was no longer there.

His eyes shifted about the room, searching for any sign of another presence. He stepped forward cautiously. Suddenly, an icy hand grabbed his shoulder. He gasped turned in an about-face. Standing before him, completely pale, eyes wide and unfocused…

…was himself.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"No…" Joey mumbled, his voice shaking. "Yugi, no, not Yugi." His voice got louder. Panic seized him as he grabbed his friend's wrist, feeling for something, anything. Nothing.

"Yugi! Hang on! Please! Oh God not Yugi. Not Yugi no!"

The paramedics tried to calm him, waving Malik over to help. Malik grabbed Joey's arm and pulled him back so that they could take Yugi away. Tears stung his eyes as he held the blonde back. The two watched despairingly as the medics loaded Yugi into the ambulance, then drove off.

Malik took deep breath and looked at Joey, expecting him to be crying. But he was not. Instead he was staring off to where the ambulance had just been, a hard look in his eyes.

"Malik," Joey began. "When we get to da hospital, tell me everything dat Yugi said."

The Egyptian nodded, trying to remember every word that he had heard.

"Oh, and I got a question."

Joey looked Malik in the eye. His voice shook as he spoke.

"Did ya happen to see… the car? Da license… plate, I mean?"

Malik thought about that. After a moment, he shook his head. Joey nodded.

"Yeah, dat's what I thought."

**Ok, just so everybody knows, Amunet is a character I made. She isn't based off anyone. She's just someone I need for the story, kay? R&R**


End file.
